If you signed up for something — a gym membership, a subscription, some kind of service agreement — and you’re under 18, there’s a good chance you have an exit door the other person doesn’t.
In virtually all U.S. states, contracts made by minors are generally considered voidable. That’s a legal word that basically means: you can choose to honor it, or you can choose to cancel it. Your call. The adult or company you signed with? They don’t get that same flexibility — they’re bound to the deal whether they like it or not.
So what does voidable actually mean in real life? It means you can’t be forced to carry out whatever you promised. You can cancel or refuse to honor the contract, and the other party generally can’t do anything about it.
There’s a catch, though. And it’s an important one.
Some things are called necessities — stuff like food, shelter, clothing, or medical care. If a contract covers something that falls into that category, you typically can’t just walk away from the whole thing. You’d still be on the hook for the reasonable value of whatever you actually received. So if you contracted for something you genuinely needed and used, expect to pay for that part.
Also worth knowing: in many states, when you void a contract you may be required to return whatever you received — a product, access to a service, etc. — rather than simply stopping payment. The rules around this vary, so don’t assume you can keep what you got and cancel what you owe without checking your state’s specific rules.
But for everything outside of necessities — most retail agreements, service contracts, subscriptions, memberships — the general rule holds. You’re under 18, the contract is voidable, and you can get out of it.
One more thing worth knowing: the right to void the contract is yours, not theirs. The adult or company can’t use your age as an excuse to back out if you actually want to proceed. That protection runs one direction — toward you.
Special situations: If you’re emancipated, or if a contract involves entertainment or professional performance work, different rules may apply. And as always, these rules differ from state to state — which is exactly why the callout below matters.